Thailand!

Well, it's that time of year when our group of teachers meets for the annual conference in Thailand. I came a little early with some other teachers to spend some time on the beach. We went from freezing cold to tropical, T-shirt and jeans weather. It was a pleasant shock to the system. Our conference starts in 3 days. I am looking forward to it, but a little nervous
because of all the people and all the expectations I sometimes put on the unknown. 

In some ways, we should be able to bond very easily because we share the same occupation
and heart with the other people at the conference. In another way , there is an expectation that we should be kindred spirits with people even if we only know people on a nominal basis.
But, I am going to use this conference to spend time reading, lifting it up, and reconnecting
with the friends I made from our teaching training this summer.

Thailand so far has been a warm, breath of fresh air. There is a lot of fresh, 
tropical fruit here including some that I 
have never seen before. We have also enjoyed the perks of Western food chains
(Subway and Diary Queen in my case.) We also have television here, so we have been catching 
up on the news and learning about 
the most dangerous animals on the discovery channel. In addition, 
I have gotten to do some leisure reading. 

We have gotten to fly the most delightful airline company ever...Thai Air. 
Even during the shortest flights, they serve a small meal. 
And, they pass out purple blankets before take-off. It's pretty comfortable!! One of my traveling friends said, 
"Thai air never disappoints," and I couldn't agree more. 
My friend and I were going to go on an elephant trek, but these plans have been post-poned (and we just saw the program about how deadly elephants can be...yikes!)
In three days, we will start our conference. We will have speakers, singing, small 
group time, and just time to get focused for the upcoming semester. 

I hope to post pictures when I get home to China. Until then, . . . stay warm.